ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend softball team split their final regular-season Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) doubleheader with Penn State Altoona, falling in game one 4-0 and bouncing back for a 7-1 game-two victory.
The Lions (23-11, 15-3 AMCC) finished in a three-way tie for the regular-season championship with the Altoona Lions and D'Youville. By virtue of the tiebreaker criteria, the Spartans will host the AMCC Championships next week, Altoona earned the No. 2 seed and Behrend is third.
In game two, the Lions took a 7-0 lead before Altoona got its single run in the seventh. Katie Gozzard (Pittsburgh, PA/Deer Lakes) and Julia Luke (Waterford, PA/Fort LeBoeuf) each tallied two hits, while AJ Nichols (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler) won her eighth game in the circle.
Gozzard doubled in the bottom of the second to send home Alexa Bupp (Warren, PA/Warren), before scoring on a single by Luke for a 2-0 lead. In the fourth, Gozzard made her second hit of the day another double to right field to score three runs for her fourth RBI. Similar to the second, Luke followed and made it 6-0 with an RBI double to left field to score Gozzard.
Nichols and Carson Hauser (Westfield, NY/Westfield Academy) were the tandem responsible for the final run in the sixth. Hauser reached and advanced to second on an error. Sarah Blagg (Cranberry Township, PA/Seneca Valley) got her to third with a sacrifice bunt, before Nichols single down left-field line knocked in Hauser.
In game one, Kate Burge tossed her 11th career shutout to help lead Penn State Altoona get the 4-0 win. In seven innings, she allowed just three hits. Burge also set a single-season record for wins in a season with 20.
The Altoona Lions used the momentum from back-to-back home runs in the top of the first inning to capture the opener. Ashley Struble and Kate Burge each dinged one over the left-field fence for a quick 2-0 lead.
After Altoona made it 3-0 after the third, Behrend responded with its first hit in the bottom of the frame but Kurge managed kept the Lions off the board for a third straight inning.
Two straight doubles by the Altoona Lions in the fourth resulted in another fun for a 4-0 final.
Rachel Miller (North East, PA/North East) started game one and pitched halfway through the third inning for the loss. Bupp came in and gave up one hit and struck out three to finish.
The double-elimination AMCC Tournament is slated to occur Friday, May 6 through Sunday, May 8. Behrend will face No. 6 Mt. Aloysius in game one beginning at 10 a.m.
